Triple-level, tricked-out and teased-high. Are you coming? I'll be there. On Saturday, March 4, 2017, Idea Exchange in Cambridge will be presenting a can't miss event, Volume 1: Excess Party (Premium Event Sponsor- Cindy DaCosta, Broker-The DaCosta Group).
Taking place on all three floors of the Queen’s Square location, the party is jammed with food, entertainment, music and fabulous people. Party launches with a champagne clink and spins off into the night with stunning aerial silks, DJs, dancing, film installations, fashion phenomena, Gaming Lounge, Gawk Box with body art, virtual realities, Bottle Bonanza, Escape Room, vocal and dance performances, story and fortune tellers, happenings and just plain cool stuff.
I spoke with Aidan Ware, Gallery Director last week and she gave me background information about the event.
1. How long has it taken to pull everything together for this event?
It's been a full year of planning. It started immediately after our last fundraiser, ArtiGras. We wanted to take things in a new direction.
2. When you say new direction, what do you mean? What is different about this event compared to the last event?
We wanted to create an event that was more accessible through a lower ticket price to attract a wider demographic of people. We wanted to move away from a traditional gala format towards the concept of a community-raiser, showcasing our local talent and our local culinary scene. Despite being a fundraiser for Cambridge’s public art galleries, we really wanted to offer an amazing experience to the public and we see the event as a way to give back to the community.
3. There is going to be a wide variety of entertainment, activities, as well as food and drink available. During the planning process, did Idea Exchange ask for any suggestions from library and gallery patrons, or the community?
Yes. We have a fundraising committee and a community outreach team. During the planning process, we thought about the vision for the event, what we wanted it to be, and then we approached the performers and vendors who we felt would be excited by and want to participate in this new vision.
4. How many people are you expecting to attend?
We anticipate 300-400 people will attend. We already have over 270 attendees. On the night of the event, we will have a rush ticket promotion for ticket sales at the door.
5. What is the fundraising goal for the event?
Our goal is $10,000, but beyond that, we really want people to come and have a great evening. We want it to be a memorable, unique experience.
6. All proceeds support Cambridge’s public art galleries. One of the things that the funds will go towards is launching a free gallery membership for 2018. Can you tell me a little bit more about that?
Times have changed. In order to engage more people, we are creating a free gallery membership program which will continue to have benefits associated with it. It's all about inclusivity and accessibility. Membership to us means something different than it would to a gallery like the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) for example because we don’t charge admission to our exhibitions. We believe in being a free, integral resource for the communities we serve.
7. Volume 1 indicates that there may be more in the future. Is there a Volume 2 already in the planning stages?
Planning for Volume 2 will be underway shortly, with the theme yet to be announced. The branding of this new fundraising event as Volume is a playful allusion to our long-standing relationship with the library while also evoking the sense of its large-scale nature.
8. What are you looking forward to the most on the evening of March 4th?
I'm looking forward to the experience as a whole. It's going to be experimental and collaborative. It'll be interesting to see what transpires. It's going to be a unique, one-off event.
I'm also really looking forward to this party and I'll be doing a follow-up post about it after.
Interview by Glodeane Brown
All photos provided by Idea Exchange